Octaye payan



No. 626,032. Patented may 3o, |899. o. PAYAN. APPARATUS FOR PBODUCING ACETYLENE GAS.

(Appliation led July 15, 1898.)

(No Modal.)

I l l l HI l i Il INVENTOR WITNESSES:

ff@ fw ATTORN EYS UNITED STATES i PATENT OFFICE.

ooTAvE FAYAN, oF BAYEUX, FRANCE.

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING. ACETYLENE GAS.

SPECIFICATIO- forming part of Letters Patent No. 626,032, dated May 30, 1899.

Application led July 15 1898.

To all whom, t may concern: f

Be it known that I, OcTAvE PAYAN, a citii zen of the Republic of France, residing at Bayeux, France, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Apparatus for Producing Acetylene Gas, (for which I have made application for Letters Patent in Great Britain, No. 13,830, dated June 2l, 1898,) of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for the manufacture of acetylene gas by an automatic injection of calcium carbid into Water, said apparatus presenting all the necessary safeguards against explosion in case of overproduction.

To make the invention better understood, the apparatus is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in Which-'- Figure l is a vertical section of anapparatus according to this invention, comprising the generator, automatic distributing device for calcium carbid, gas-holder and bell, and gas-drying apparatus. Figs. 1a and lb show in plan and side elevation a detail of the mechanism operating the distributer and insuring the air-tightness of the generator.

The apparatus, Fig. l, consists of a generato r with the carbid-distributer A, gas-holder and bell B, and drying-chamber C.

The generator A is constituted by a reservoir with a dome and flange above hermetically closed by a cover and preferably having a funnelshaped base Which terminates in va drain-cock r. To' this base there is secured by, say, four feet a distributer a, constituted, preferably, by two equal cones joined by their bases. Above this double cone is a tube b h', the distance between the bottom of the tube and the distributer being equal, at least, to the diameter of said tube. This tube b b passes through the cover at the top of the reservoir and projects some distance above it and is provided at the top with a funnelshaped mouth. At the sides and above this tube there is arranged a small horizontal ring or plate e e', secured slightly above thefedges of the funnel of the tube b b' in any desired manner, as by rods, such as t, extending from the end of a bracket c c', attached to or forming part of a collar orflange surrounding the Serial No. 685,985. (No model.)

tube h b. Over this plate there is arranged and moves by means which Will be hereinafter described a series of vessels d d, secured to the edges of or carried bya horizontal disk, ring, or series of spokes a', carried by a central vertical rod d2, to which is secured a ratchet-Wheel a3 With anumber of teeth which may correspond to that of the vessels, and which rod is revolublyrmounted in a bracket c c and a step c3. Each of these vessels is destined to receive a quantity of calcium carbid required to produce sutiicient gas to lill the bell of the gas-holder. Each vessel is provided With a cover and a hinged bottom b2, resting on the plate e e'.

A rod ff, passing through the bracket c c', in which it is adapted to rotate, and provided at the top with a pawl a3 and a spring q', is adapted to operate the ratchet-whee1,and consequently the disk carrying the vessels. This rod is provided with a small lever g, Figs. l and la, connected by another rod fu, u to a bell-crank lever o o', secured to one of the uprights of the gas-holder, a projection Z,secured to the top of the gas-holder bell,- being arranged to come in contact with said lever when about three-fourths ofthe gas contained in the bell is consumed. VThe rod f f passes down- Ward into the generator to slightly below the bottom of the tubeb b and carries at its'lower end a plate fi', secured at right angles to it. This latter plate, when in its usual position, closes the orifice of the tube b h. This rod ff is also provided with a helical spring ce, the ends of which are respectively secured to the bracket ctc and to the lever g in order to return the rod int-o its normal position as'soon as a charge of carbid has been discharged into the Water.

In order to avoid loss ofl gas, the rod f f passes through a tube h, immersed in water and projecting above the generator to a greater extent than would correspond to the v IOO the room or place in which the apparatus is placed in case there be an overproduction of gas.

The drying apparatus C consists of a small chamber, into which the substances or material used to dry the escaping gas before it enters the gas-pipes can be introduced or renewed, when necessary, through a cover secured,preferably,at its top. The substances contained in said drier are two parts of dry sawdust mixed together with one part each of sulfate ot lime, sulfate of iron, and calcium chlorid. On the cover of the drier there is arranged asleeve m,containing several disks or plates of metallic netting or wire of very fine mesh, through which passes the gas and which serves to prevent any flame which may strike back from entering the drier or reservoir.

The working of the apparat-us is as follows: Vater is introduced into the `generator A through au opening p until it is nearly full. Then the-opening is closed, say, by a screwplug. At this moment the water is almost on the level with the opening j) and well above the lower opening ot` the tube o o', which is immersed in the water to a sufficient extent. The cock a is opened, whereby communication is established between the generator and the bell of thc gas-holder. The rod f f is turn ed by means ofthe small lever g, so as to move the plate t', and thus open the tube l) l2'. Then pieces of calcium carbid,preferably previously impregnated with oil or petroleum, are thrown into the tube o t in a sufficient quantity to produce sufficient gas to till the bell. Then the rod ff is allowed to return to its usual position, and consequently also the plate t' i. The lower opening ot the tube Z) o is thus closed. The pieces of carbid on falling into the mass of water fall upon the double cone a, along which they pass to the lower part of the vessel. The carbid soon becomes free from the oil or petroleum with which it was coated, and the water begins to act on it. The gas produced is at once guided by the double distributer a outside the oriiice of the tube o b', and the effervescence produced by the decomposition of the carbid cannot drive particles ot' carbid into the tube I) b, since it is closed by the plate i'. The gas rises Vertically to the top of the generator above the water, whence it escapes through the cock 'n into the bell of the gas-holder. This operation having taken place, there is placed into each vessel (Zd a charge of carbid of calcium except in the one situated directly over the tube o o'. Then the bell may be connected with the gas pipes or burners by opening the cock s. When three-fourths of the gas contained in the bell has been consumed, the tappet i, secured to the top of the bell, strikes the horizontal arm of the bell-crank lever o o and moves the lever g, and consequently slowly turns the rod f f which by means of its pawl causes the ratchet-Wheel secured to the rod supporting the charge Vessel cl d to turn to the extent of one tooth. The series of vessels also turn and so that the next Vessel comes into position over the tube. b b. The bottom of this vessel being then situated over an open portion of the plate c c', supporting the vessels, falls down about its hinge, and thus discharges its contents into the tube b b' and thence into the water contained in the generator. At the same time that the rod j' f rotates the vessel it also moves the plate it", which closed the tube b o', and cnables the carbid to fall to the bottom ot the generator under the double cone. The gas produced by this new quantity of carbid raises the bell, whereby the horizontal arm of the lever o o is at once released, and lche spring X thereupon brings the rod f f into its ordinary position, and consequently the plate 1l i returns under the orifice ot the tube b b'. The operation thus described is repeated until the last of the charge vessels is exhausted. When the last vessel arrives in the position above the tube o b', a tappet secured to said vessel may close an electric circuit and ring a bell, thereby informing the attendant that the supply of carbid is exhausted. It is then only necessary to refill the vessels, except thc one situated above the tube b b'. lVhen the apparatus has been at rest for several hours, the deposit resulting from the decomposition of the carbid settles at the bottom oi' the gcnerator. To remove it, it is suflicient to open the drain-cock r, havin gpreviously closed the gas-cock a, and to close the drain-cock when the water discharged is no longer of a milky appearance. Then the quantity of waterrequired to replace the amount discharged is introduced through the opening P, and after closing this opening the apparatus is again ready for work.

It is to be understood vthat I do not confine myself to the number or arrangement of the carbid vessels or to the particular form of the gas -distributers in the generator, as these may be varied or modiied in many ways without departing from the spirit of this invention.

I claiml. In an acetylenegas apparatus, the combination of an expansible gas-receiver, agenerator communicating with said receiver, a vertical feed-tube discharging into said generator, a plate arranged above, and having an opening over, said feed-tube, a horizontal series of carbid-receptacles, a revoluble support arranged above said plate and carrying said receptacles, a suitably-sustained revoluble rod carrying said support, an oscillating rod arranged parallel to said first-named rod, operative connecting means between said rods and betweenA the oscillating rod and a movable part of said receiver, and a plate carried by said oscillating rod and controlling the discharge-opening of said feed-tube, substantially as described.

2. In an acetylene-gas apparatus, the combination of an expansible gas-receiver, a generator communicating with said receiver,a

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vertical feed-tube discharging into said generator, a plate arranged above and having an opening over, said feed-tube, a series of carbid-receptacles, a revoluble support arranged above said plate and carrying said receptacles, a suitably-sustained revoluble rod carrying said support, an oscillating rod arranged parallel to said first-named rod,0perative connecting means between said rods and between the oscillating rod and a movable part of said receiver, a plate carried by said oscillating rod and controlling the discharge-opening of said feed-tube, means in said generator for defiecting the carbid discharged from said tube and the generated gases, and hinged bottoms for said receptacles each normally sustained by, and being of less diameter than the opening in said plate, said receptacles'being arranged to successively register with said plate-opening, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence ofthe two subscribing witnesses.

O. PAYAN.

Witnesses CH. PERREL, ANDOIRE. 

